"Bonjour. Ça va?" France by seagoingJLW

France Travel Guide: 68,497 reviews and 147,908 photos

Around La Belle France

History

Southern France, known as Gaul and inhabited by the Celts, became a Roman province with Julius Caesar's conquest in 58-51 BC. Roman domination ended in the fifth century due to Barbarian invasion. this was followe by the formation of a kingdom under the Franks. Clovis I was the first Christian king of France but Charlemagne, who ruled from 768 to 814 was historically more important. He was also the first Holy Roman Emperor. When he died the empire was divided into domains--Normandy, Aquitaine, Burgundy, Flanders and others.

From this period until the seventeenth century there were constant struggles including the Hundred Years' War and the Thirty Years' War with pieces alternately lost and gained and civil wars due to religion. Eventually a centralized monarchyemerged only to fall with the capture of the Bastille in 1789. With the rise of Napoleon, France prospered until his Waterloo defeat in 1815.

The Bourbons returned to power until the Revolution of 1848 when France again became a republic. Napoleon III established the Second Empire in 1852 until the Franco Prussian War in 1870 when France again reverted to being a republic. Following World War II, the Fourth Republic was established. When Charles de Gaulle was recalled to power in 1958, the current Fifth Republic was established.

Miscellaneous Information

France is located in western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel. The total are is 547,030 sq km,only slightly less than twice the size of Colorado. the terrain is mostly flat plains or rolling hills except for the Pyren?e in the south and the Alps in the east.

Winters are generally cool and summers mild, but mild winters and hot summers can be found along the Mediterranean.

The population is 59,551,227 (as of July, 2001) and includes the following ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, and Basques minorities. Ninety per cent of the people are Roman Catholic with 2% Protestant, 1% Jewish, 3% Muslim and 4% unaffiliated. All of the population speaks French. Regional dialects and languages such as Proven?al, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican. Catal?n, Basque and Flemish are rapidly declining.

Pros and Cons

Pros:There are some lovely towns
Cons:There are some places that are difficult to navigate
In a nutshell:France offers a multitude of different things

Last visit to France: May 2001
Intro Updated Apr 4, 2004
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Reviews (12)

Visit the village of Eze, way... - France

Visit the village of Eze, way... Favorites (7)

Visit the village of Eze, way up on top of the mountain. Take a look at Eze and Villefranch in Travelogue on Eze and the... more travel advice

Visit the Russian Orthodox... Favorites (7)

Visit the Russian Orthodox church in Nice. more travel advice

Stop in at any café in Nice. Favorites (7)

more travel advice

Stroll through the streets of... - France

Stroll through the streets of... Favorites (7)

Stroll through the streets of Nice. more travel advice

Travelogues (3)

1 - 3 of 3

Comments (15)

barryg23 Jan 21, 2003 at 8:30 AM Report Abuse

Nice overview and great travelogues of France.
Porteplume Apr 22, 2002 at 2:35 AM Report Abuse

Tu sais très bien parler de mon pays, merci... ;-)
Gypsystravels Jan 5, 2002 at 6:00 PM Report Abuse

Happy Birthday Joan!!!!!!
keeweechic Oct 14, 2001 at 8:17 PM Report Abuse

Some of my favourite parts of France. A very recent trip:-)
fabrice Jul 16, 2001 at 9:35 AM Report Abuse

with you,I will start to appreciate france
kiwi Jul 15, 2001 at 4:13 AM Report Abuse

Wonderful pics and nicely written.
patrikske Jul 6, 2001 at 1:23 PM Report Abuse

Ca va bien, et toi ??
DaKat Jun 30, 2001 at 2:02 PM Report Abuse

Lovely! But I`m soooo hungry now
fumauro Jun 2, 2001 at 10:00 AM Report Abuse

good pics
D.POUTOURIS May 31, 2001 at 10:19 AM Report Abuse

gr.page